Page 62: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (May/Jun 2014)

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Drilling

Bit by bit

Sarah Parker Musarra reviews the 2014

International Association of Drilling

Contractors/ Society of Petroleum Engineers

Drilling Conference and Exhibition.

The doors leading to the exhibit halls, where more than 1355 exhibitors were present. Image from SPE.

ore than 1000 attendees braved noting in the paper that this study was a found that “abrasion can be reduced laboratory study” signifcantly by lowering particle size,” unseasonable (for Texas) icy more “comprehensive

M than what had been done however, both minerals are more abrasive conditions that made driving in in the past.

According to Tehrani’s presentation, than barite. The paper concluded that most North Texas cities nearly impossible, increased consumption in China and “the results of tests conducted by two including host city of Fort Worth, to attend

India in API-grade barite, along with low different methods suggest that only the this year’s International Association of production, has led to a price increase of size grade D = 25 displays abrasivity

Drilling Contractors/Society of Petroleum 95 µm more than 100% since 2009. similar to API barite.”

Engineers Drilling Conference and

Several tests were conducted on hema- In addition, one of the other pressing

Exhibition (IADC/SPE 2014).

Rolv Rommetveit, managing director tite and ilmenite, including magnetic points in the question if either of these of eDrilling Solutions, accepted SPE’s property testing and abrasion testing. two minerals could be heir-apparents to

Drilling Engineering Award Winner In addition to the standard API 131/ barite was their magnetic susceptibilities. for 2014, which recognizes “outstand- ISO 10416 Section 7 Tehrani said that Tehrani pointed out that para-magnetism ing achievement or contributions to the abrasion testing with the Taber abrader affects downhole tools, including direc- advancement of petroleum tional drilling tools and magnetic engineering in the area of drill- resonance tools. Both ilmenite ing engineering technology.” and hematite have much, much

Rommetveit was nominated by higher magnetic susceptibility his colleagues and selected by than API-grade barite – up to 100 committee for the award, which and 1000 times, respectively, celebrated its 30th year. higher. Tehrani and his co-authors wrote in the paper, that to their

Technical session highlights knowledge, “the upper limit of

Paper IADC/SPE 167937, acceptable para-magnetism has entitled “Alternative Drilling not been determined for down-

Fluid Weighting Agents: A hole tools.”

Comprehensive Study on

The authors concluded that

Ilmenite and Hematite” was hematite and ilmenite could only the frst paper of the frst be considered as a replacement technical session, “Fluids and for barite “if they are milled to

Hydraulics.” Presenters Ahmadi a fne [particle size distribution]

Tehrani presented the paper

PSD (e.g. D = 25 noting that 95 µm), “[compatibility] with downhole he co-authored with Angelika tools remains an open question

Cliffe, Michael Hodder, that needs to be assessed under

Steven Young, John Lee, James real conditions.”

Stark, and Suzanne Seale of

In Tuesday’s Session 2,

Schlumberger’s M-I SWACO. In “Drilling Dynamics,” Ryan Gee his presentation, he discussed presented paper IADC/SPE whether the more abrasive, 168034, entitled “Drilling with higher-density minerals ilmenite induced vibrations improves and hematite could be succes- sors or alternatives to barite,

ROP [rate of penetration] and

Baker Hughes’ FASTrak LWD and wireline fuid sampling service the “standard weighting agent mitigates stick/slip in vertical was recently successfully deployed in a deepwater GOM case in the drilling fuid industry,” and directional wells,” which study. Image from Baker Hughes.

May 2014 | OE oedigital.com 64 064_OE0514_D&C2_IADC.indd 64 4/18/14 8:20 PM